From The Dalai Lama

17 incredibly powerful observations attributed to the Dalai Lama worth posting on your bathroom mirror. Learn them and live them. They will improve your life.

 

1. Follow the three Rs: respect for self, respect for others, responsibility for your actions. 

2. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 

3. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

4. Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

6. Great love and great achievements involve great risk.

7. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

8. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

9. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship. 

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. The best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. 

12. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

13. Spend some time alone every day.

14. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Live a good, honorable life. When you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

17. Judge your success by what you had to give up to get it.

TRUE or FALSE

L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also wrote under the pseudonym Edith Van Dyne.






As Edith Van Dyne, L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) wrote books for girls, for example the Aunt Jane’s Nieces series. He also wrote under other pen names, such as Laura Bancroft and Floyd Akers. By the way, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, has 13 sequels, including Tik-Tok of Oz, The Road to Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz.

Stupid Is As Stupid Says...

  ON THANKS, BILLY, FOR THAT INSIGHT "Its mediocrity was celebrated to an art form, but only in retrospect."

 

--actor Billy Zane, on avant-garde cinema

Disney Trivia

Follow Mickey, Donald, and friends through a 3-D adventure on this -- one of the largest seamless screens in the world. What is it?






  Mickey's PhilharMagic.

Judge Seidlin rules: Dannielynn's lawyer gets custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body

In yet another dramatic turn of events in the hearing into who will get custody of the body of Anna Nicole Smith, Florida Circuit Court Judge Larry Seidlin announced promptly that he was leaving the courtroom for 15 minutes, and that upon his return, he would render his verdict in the case. The legal hearings into who will gain custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body were filled with attacks aimed at both Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith's lover and attorney, and Virgie Arthur, the estranged mother of Anna Nicole Smith. But as the judge came back from his 15 minute deliberation, the final resting place of Anna Nicole Smith was set to be decided.


CNN had quoted Judge Larry Seidlin, who told the courtroom, "I request that you all stay here and in the next 15 minutes I'm going to be back. I'm going to pronounce the disposition of this case. I hope that when you hear it, you handle it with the respect and dignity Anna Nicole will want." With that, a media frenzy ensued as reporters waited to hear the verdict, while attorneys and interested parties sat nervously. As Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin re-entered the courtroom, the decision as to where Anna Nicole Smith's final resting place would be was announced.

--more--

*Actressarchives.com

Prince Harry to serve in Iraq: defence ministry

Prince Harry will serve in Iraq, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday.

The deployment would make Harry -- third in line to the throne -- the first royal to see combat since his uncle, Prince Andrew, fought in the Falklands War against Argentina in 1982.

Defence officials have said Harry would be kept out of situations where his presence would put his comrades at risk. Harry himself has said there is "no way" he would accept special treatment after undergoing rigorous training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

"There is a tradition of royals serving in the armed forces, but Iraq has been a very unpopular war in this country. It's a very dangerous place and a lot of people suspected that the armed forces and the government would really back away from sending the prince into this kind of a situation. But he let it be known that he very much wanted to go," said CTV's London Bureau Chief Tom Kennedy.

Harry, 22, is expected to accompany his troops to Iraq in April or May, CNN reports. He graduated from the academy last year, where he was trained to lead 11 soldiers and four Scimitar tanks.

Harry had threatened to leave the army if he was prevented from joining his comrades on operations.

"There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst, and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,'' he said in a television interview to mark his 21st birthday.

According to unconfirmed reports, the British police protection officer responsible for Prince Harry, known as Troop Commander Wales, flew to Iraq recently to make security arrangements for his arrival.

The Daily Mail newspaper claimed the 22-year-old is already referred to as a "bullet magnet" by fellow soldiers as his Blues and Royals regiment prepares for an anticipated six-month tour of Iraq.

His troops will likely perform reconnaissance missions in the desert, the Daily Mirror reported.

However, a royal family spokesman has declined comment and the Defense Ministry called the reports speculative, saying upcoming Iraq deployments had yet to be finalized.

Prince Harry and his older brother William, who is also with the Blues and Royals, have joined a long line of royals in the military.

Harry's father, Prince Charles, served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. His grandfather, Prince Philip, had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy.

Even the Queen trained as a driver in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War.

As the second in line to the British crown, William -- who is also a military officer -- is ineligible for combat service.

*With files from The Associated Press

Former NBA star Dennis Johnson dies

AUSTIN, Texas - Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championship teams and combined with Larry Bird in one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday after collapsing at the end of practice. He was 52.

Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Hassinger added. Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said there will be autopsy.

The Toros postponed home games Friday and Saturday nights, the D-League said.

Johnson, a five-time All-Star and one of the great defensive guards, played 14 seasons and retired after the 1989-90 season. He played on title teams with the Boston Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, when he was the NBA finals MVP.

Johnson, a leader on the court, was a favorite teammate of Bird's. The two were part of one of the most memorable plays in Celtics history.

During the fifth game of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass under Boston's basket and fed Johnson, who drove in for the winning layup. Boston won the series in seven games but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

"Dennis was a great player, one of the best teammates I ever had, and a wonderful person," said Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers. "My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time."

Bill Laimbeer, the center on that Pistons team, remembered Johnson as a "great player on a great ballclub."

"He played with passion and grit," Laimbeer said. "It was fun to play games like that. You always enjoyed it. It made for not only great games, but great entertainment."

In the 1984 finals, Johnson guarded Magic Johnson effectively in the last four games. In 1985, he hit a last-second jumper against Los Angeles that won the fifth game. In 1986, he was part of a team that featured four Hall of Famers — Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton.

Johnson had a reputation for delivering in big games.

"I hate to lose," he once said. "I accept it when it comes, but I still hate it. That's the way I am."

He averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 assists for his career. When he retired, he was the 11th player in NBA history to total 15,000 points and 5,000 assists. Johnson made one all-NBA first team and one second team. Six times he made the all-defensive first team, including five consecutive seasons (1979-83).

Johnson was born Sept. 18, 1954, in Compton, Calif. He played in college at Pepperdine and was drafted by Seattle in 1976. Johnson was traded to Phoenix in 1980 and Boston in 1983.

*By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer

Gay Flight Attendant Commercial from UK

Belated Politically Correct Valentine

Telemarketer Revenge

Do you get lots of annoying calls from telemarketers? Don't get upset about it! Use the opportunity to get a laugh!



1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.



2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "Why do you want to know?" Alternately, you can tell them, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems; my arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died..."

When they try to get to the sell, just keep talking about your problems.



3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.



4. If they are selling a lawn service to make your grass grow better, tell them it grows to fast now and green is not your favorite color anyway.



5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy! Is that you? Oh my! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.



6. Say "No" over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.



7. If a long-distance provider calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as SINISTER a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends...would you be my friend?"



8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out GOAT blood? How about HUMAN blood?



9. After the telemarketer gives their spiel, ask him/her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you could not just give your credit card number to a complete stranger.



10. Tell the telemarketer that you work for the same company, they often can't sell to employees.




11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream "Oh No!" and then hang up.



12. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.



13. Tell them it is dinnertime, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speakerphone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.



14. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some food.



15. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number.



16. Ask the telemarketer if they use the product they are trying to sell. If they do, ask for a complete report. If they don't, ask them why not since it is such a great product.



17. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?"



18. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up ...louder ...louder ... louder...



19. Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write EVERY WORD down.



20. Tell them that you are busy and ask for their phone number so you can call them back. If they say that they don't give out their phone number or they don't take calls, then ask for the caller's personal phone number at home. If then they say that they don't like being called at home, quickly say "Bingo!" and hang up.

*Thanks, Pam

Signs That You Are Suffering From Work Burnout...

You're so tired you now answer the phone, "Hell".

Your friends call to ask how you've been and you immediately scream "Get off my back, bitch!"

Your garbage can IS your "IN" box.

You wake up to discover your bed is on fire, but go back to sleep because you just don't care.



You have so much on your mind, you've forgotten how to pee.

Visions of the upcoming weekend help you make it through Monday.



You sleep more at work than at home.

You leave for a party and instinctively bring your ID badge.

Your Day-Timer exploded a week ago.

You think about how relaxing it would be if you were in jail right now.

You consider a 40 hour week a vacation.

You don't set your alarm anymore because you know your pager will go off before your alarm does.

*Thanks, Pam!

"Short" One

A husband and wife were sharing a bottle of wine when the husband said, "I bet you can't tell me something that will make me happy and sad at the same time." The wife thought for a moment, then said, "Your penis is bigger than your brother's."

*Thanks, Daryn

Beach Balls

*Thanks, Daryn

Ghost Rider

Starring: Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider
Eva Mendes as Roxanne Simpson
Wes Bentley as Blackheart
Peter Fonda as Mephistopheles
Sam Elliott as Caretaker
Donal Logue as Mack
Laurence Breuls as Gressil
Daniel Frederiksen as Wallow
Mathew Wilkinson as Abigor
Brett Cullen as Barton Blaze
Matt Long as Young Johnny Blaze
Raquel Alessi as Young Roxanne Simpson

Synopsis: In order to save his dying father, young stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze sells his soul to Mephistopheles and sadly parts from the pure-hearted Roxanne Simpson, the love of his life. Years later, Johnny's path crosses again with Roxanne, now a reporter, and also with Mephistopheles, who offers to release Johnny's soul if Johnny becomes the fabled, fiery Ghost Rider, a supernatural agent of vengeance and justice. Mephistopheles charges Johnny with defeating the despicable Blackheart, Mephistopheles's nemesis and son, who plans to displace his father and create a new hell even more terrible than the old one. *Written by Kenneth Chisholm

Review: What do you get when you hire a director who really understands and loves the material? A faithful adaptation of a comic. In recent years it happened with Bryan Singer and X-Men, Sam Raimi and Spider-Man, as well as Christopher Nolan and Batman. It is now safe to put writer/director Mark Steven Johnson in that class as well for Ghost Rider.

ComingSoon.net's Superhero Hype! got a chance to watch the anticipated Ghost Rider movie, opening February 16 and starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue and Peter Fonda.

In the Columbia Pictures release, superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze (Cage) makes a deal with the devil (Mephistopheles, played by Fonda) to keep his father from dying. But Mephistopheles tricks Blaze, who leaves childhood sweetheart, Roxanne (Mendes), in order to protect her. Years later, the son of the devil, Blackheart, wants to take control over the world with the help of three fallen angels, called the Hidden. It is then that Mephistopheles comes to Blaze, who must now hunt down the rogue demons as the Ghost Rider.

There's quite a bit of comics history for Johnson to cover in the film (just look at Wikipedia's rundown of the Ghost Rider comics to get some kind of idea), which makes the beginning of the film seem forced. The backstory is about your typical father/son who jump motorcycles for a living (!), but it's this relationship that forces Johnny to sign his soul to the devil and we never really see that overwhelming love between father and son. There's not a lot of time to tell the origins either, so you're moved quickly to the point where Nicolas Cage and Blackheart & Co. take over the story.

It's probably a good thing, because that is also where the movie starts getting good. We need a bit more setup until Johnny Blaze (Cage) is called upon by Memistopheles. But when he does, we get the treat we've been expecting. Soon after, you get to see Blaze transform into Ghost Rider for the first time, which looks extremely painful for Blaze but enjoyable to the Ghost Rider.

When Ghost Rider does battle with Blackheart and the Hidden (or the elements, so to speak) it's an all-out slugfest with no holds barred. Their powers give the Ghost Rider a challenge in having to figure out how to defeat them. The scenes feature impressive special effects that'll have you say many times, "cool!" We won't spoil them here, but many of the best visual effects, including the full transformation, you haven't seen yet in trailers or clips. For example, the riding up the building scene from the trailers is quite long and is definitely a highlight of the film, with much more happening before and after.

Nicolas Cage really hits one out of the park here. We noticed a similar southern accent to how he talked in Con-Air (hey, the movie takes place in Texas after all), but Cage has created both a tragic yet fun character on-screen. It's entertaining to watch him play Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider. Fonda and Elliott are great as always, while Bentley was good casting for Blackheart and Logue adds comic relief to the dark story. Eva Mendes is definitely nice to look at, but she doesn't add much as Roxanne. We didn't really feel to close to her as we probably should have.

Those who were afraid that the film's initial release was moved from summer 2006 to February 2007 should be assured that the FX team has pulled out all the stops. CGI flames can be tricky and Ghost Rider's flaming skull, body and hellcycle are awesome and well worth the delay. The special effects for Blackheart and the Hidden were also very well done.

Naturally, since this is the story of Ghost Rider, parents should heed the rating for this film, which is PG-13 for horror violence and disturbing images.

Ghost Rider is a fun ride and definitely worth checking out!

*Review by Superhero Hype!, comingsoon.net

**Official Site

A Liger! - AWESOME Animal

On a typical day he will devour 200 lb of meat, usually beef or chicken, and is capable of eating 100 lb at a single setting. At just three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.

He is the unintentional result of two enormous big cats living close together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in Miami , Florida , and already dwarfs both his parents. "Ligers are not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys was getting along with a tiger girl, then lo and behold we had a liger." These two cats don't normally have the opportunity to breed in the wild, as most lions live in Africa and most tigers in Asia.

50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible for lions and tigers to mate Not only are they enemies likely to kill one another. But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II.

Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more physical characteristics of the tiger.

Look at the size of the head on this thing..

Check out the fangs - like pre-historic days...

For you animal lovers......... and even those who aren't. This is pretty cool.

*Thanks, Bright eyes!

CBA Fires Hardaway

Tim Hardaway has been fired from his role with the Continental Basketball Association after the former NBA All-Star's anti-gay rant last week in which he said, "I hate gay people."

Ricardo A. Richardson, president and CEO of the CBA, told Outsports late Monday night that Hardaway has been relieved of his duties as "Chief Basketball Operations advisor for Trinity Sports, which was scheduled to have a team in the CBA next season, [the] Miami Majesty." Hardaway was also the coach of the Majesty, which was formerly the Florida Pit Bulls of the American Basketball Association.

Hardaway's hate-filled diatribe came during a Feb. 14 radio interview with Dan Le Batard. Among other comments, Hardaway told Le Batard, "Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States. So yeah, I don't like it.''

Hardaway made the comments in the midst of various appearances in Las Vegas on behalf of the NBA in the week leading up to the NBA's All-Star Weekend. Within hours of Hardaway's anti-gay comments, the NBA dismissed the former All-Star from his role with the Association, and Hardaway left Las Vegas the next day.

The day after Hardaway made his comments, Dennis Truax, Director of Basketball Operations for the CBA, made the following statement:

“The CBA does not in any way condone or endorse the hateful comments made by Mr. Hardaway to ESPN yesterday. Mr. Hardaway’s comments were unfortunate, hateful and are not the views of the CBA or any of its member teams. It is our fervent belief that any person should be allowed to participate in our league, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, political preference or sexual orientation, without fear of reprisal or discrimination. The CBA is an equal opportunity employer, and Mr. Hardaway’s comments have no effect or bearing on our position now or in the future. We do not share his views or support his position regarding Mr. [John] Amaechi and his recent personnel revelations.”

Amaechi, who played in the NBA for five seasons, revealed two weeks ago that he is gay. ESPN Books released his autobiography, "Man in the Middle," last week.

Other athletes have been penalized for making anti-gay comments in the past. Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was suspended in 2000 by Major League Baseball for making anti-gay and racist comments about riding the 7 train in New York City. In 2006, Pittsburgh Steeler Joey Porter was fined $10,000 by the NFL for publicly calling Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. a "fag."

"We would like to move on from this issue," Richardson told Outsports. "As it relates to the CBA, we do not discriminate against individuals based on sexual orientation."

*by Cyd Zeigler, Outsports.com

Is Isaiah Washington Next?

GLAAD Unhappy with Isaiah Washington

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is demanding an apology from "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington for continually making homophobic remarks. In the past four months, Washington has used the offensive term "faggot" twice in reference to co-star T.R. Knight.

In a statement to TMZ, GLAAD President Neil Giuliano said, "When Isaiah Washington uses this kind of anti-gay slur - whether on set or in front of the press - it does more than create a hostile environment for his castmates and the crew of 'Grey's Anatomy.' It also feeds a climate of hatred and intolerance that contributes to putting our community in harm's way. Washington's repeated use of it on-set and in the media is simply inexcusable."

In an interview at Monday's Golden Globes, Washington denied using the offensive term by ... using the offensive term. "No, I did not call T.R. a faggot." Knight then went on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and confirmed that Washington did, in fact, use the term on the "Grey's" set in October.

GLAAD has contacted Washington in hopes of setting up a meeting with the embattled actor. Giuliano added, "We want to sit down with him and give him an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay slurs. Over the past four months Washington has become part of a significant problem of anti-gay prejudice in this country. He now has an opportunity to be part of the solution."

Reps for "Grey's Anatomy" could not be immediately reached.
*TMZ.com

Gates, Harper announce major AIDS initiative

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the establishment of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative -- a multimillion-dollar plan to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

"This collaboration between Canada's new government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is going to contribute to the global effort to develop safe, effective, affordable and globally-accessible HIV vaccines," said Harper on Tuesday.

He said the benefits from the joint partnership will be numerous.

"(It) will allow us to accelerate the pace towards the discovery of an HIV vaccine, construct a facility to manufacture promising vaccines for clinical trials, move vaccines to the clinical trial stage more quickly, (and) improve access to an eventual vaccine."

He also said the initiative will help coordinate the activities of Canadian and international researchers so that information can be shared effectively.

Ottawa will pledge $111 million for the AIDS program, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will offer $28 million.

"The long-term solution is a vaccine and I think that scientists are in strong agreement that this will be one of the toughest vaccines ever to create and yet it needs to be, therefore, a priority," said Gates.

He said most scientists think that it will take 10 years to find a vaccine.

It's not yet clear what city will host the new facility. The office of Health Minister Tony Clement said the government will accept proposals from the provinces.

Harper endured harsh criticism last summer when he decided not to attend the International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

When asked if he was concerned about being part of a political strategy by the Conservatives to regain favour, Gates said the initiative was still a great thing for the AIDS cause.

"I'm glad to hear that putting research money into AIDS makes people politically more popular," he said, prompting laughter from the audience.

In an interview later on CTV's Mike Duffy Live, Harper said the government had been negotiating for some time with the Gates Foundation, but this was the first time he got to meet the world's richest man.

Harper said his wife, Laureen, considers Gates "the world's sexiest man."

"When she first said that to me, I said really, is that true? I think he's the richest but I never thought of him that way. Laureen said to me, 'when a man has that much money, he's sexy,'" Harper told Duffy.

Tuesday's announcement was applauded by the World Health Organization, the pharmaceutical industry, academics, and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative.

*CTVNews

Counting the cost of a Windows Vista upgrade

The shiny, new Windows Vista beckons, and an upgrade is mighty tempting. But before you take the plunge, be aware that you may end up forking out a lot more money than just the cost of an operating system upgrade. Here are 15 reasons to upgrade and here are 6 on why you should wait on Vista .

A lot more than just cash is on the line as well, because you may also spend plenty of time upgrading your hardware to make sure it's Vista-ready. Read on before you upgrade; being forewarned is being forearmed.

The high cost of hardware

If you're upgrading to Windows Vista, the first cash outlay you likely face is buying more RAM for your PC. Microsoft says that you can run Windows Vista with 512 megabytes of RAM, but don't believe it. It's simply not worth running Windows Vista on a machine with less than 1 gigabyte of RAM. In fact, you'd be a lot happier with 2GB.

How much will that much RAM cost you? Figure that you can get 1GB of RAM for as low as a little over US$100, while 2GB will run you $180 and up.

Even if you have enough RAM, your existing graphics card may not be up to snuff, because Vista is graphics-hungry. If you want to run its Aero environment , you'll need a good graphics card.

There are two levels of Vista hardware compatibility: "Vista Capable," and "Vista Premium Ready." Forget Vista Capable; it won't run Aero, and if you can't run Aero, you shouldn't bother upgrading to Windows Vista.

So you need a graphics card that is Vista Premium Ready. To be Premium Ready, a PC needs a graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory, and what's called Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel. There's no room in this story to delve into each of these specs, but the key is the support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, and a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory. Before buying a card, check the box or the manufacturer's site, and make that it matches these specs.


How much will such a card cost? It depends on how much graphics oomph you want. You can get a graphics card that meets these specs for as low as about $60. If you want better performance, of course, you can pay more, in the $100 to $150 range. But with graphics cards, the sky is the limit, and you can spend just about as much as you want until your pocketbook screams. As a practical matter, though, only gamers need the more expensive graphics cards; you don't need them merely to run Vista.

If you don't have a DVD drive, you'll need one, because Vista installs only via DVD. These days DVD drives are cheap; you can get a reasonable one for as low as about $30 to $40.

How about your hard disk? You should have a hard drive with a least a 40GB capacity, with 15GB of free disk space. But you'll certainly want a much bigger drive than that, to leave plenty of room for files and media. So you might need to add a new hard drive. Hard drives are cheap these days; for as low as $70 or $80, you can get one with a 250GB capacity.

How much will all of this cost you? Depending on what you need to install, you can get by with as little as spending only about $60 for a new graphics card, or up to $400 or more if you need to upgrade your RAM, graphics card, and hard disk, and also have to buy a DVD drive.

What's your time worth?

You'll be spending more than just money if you upgrade to Windows Vista, of course--you may spend plenty of time as well. If you need to upgrade your hardware, count in the time it takes to do the upgrade. If you only need to upgrade your RAM, and all goes well during installation, you should need to spend only about 15 minutes. On the other hand, graphics card upgrades can sometimes be tricky, as can hard disk and DVD installations. If things go badly, you can spend hours troubleshooting and listening to bad music while you're on hold on tech support lines.

Finally, consider the time you'll spend upgrading to Windows Vista itself. Microsoft has done an excellent job with the Windows Vista installation process, and it's far easier and faster than previous Windows installs. So if you're going to merely upgrade over your existing version of Windows XP, it may take as little as 40 minutes with very little intervention on your part.


You may, though, opt instead for a clean install, which means that you'll wipe your hard disk clean, and then install Windows Vista. If you do that, you'll have to copy your data somewhere, and then after Vista installs, copy it back to your PC. And you'll also have to reinstall all your applications. This can take multiple hours if your PC has an extensive set of software.

The bottom line

So what's the bottom line for hidden upgrade costs? If you've got a relatively new system and opt to upgrade Vista over XP instead of doing a clean install, you may get away with not having to upgrade any hardware, or just need to add some RAM or a new graphics card. That won't put much bite on your pocketbook, and you won't lose your weekends, either.

On the other hand, if you need to do heavy-duty installation work and opt for a clean install, make sure you've got plenty of time--and cash as well.

*By Preston Gralla is the author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell
**Pictures are of my Vista Install.

Canadian Style Cheerleaders

You don't have to live in the South to know that FOOTBALL IS KING! But the game wouldn't be complete without the cheerleaders, and looking around the country here are some of the finest:

The Edmonton Eskimo Cheerleaders


The Montreal Alouettes Cheer Team


The Saskatchewan RoughRiders...





*Thanks, Auntie 'M'